It's Magic
by Randy Taylor
Summary: This is the sequel to Meet Me in St. Louie. If you haven't read that, read it before you read this. Anyways, Randy's son goes on a school trip now and has some Meet Me in St. Louie-esque experiences of his own. Rated T just to be on the safe side.
1. Prologue: Déjà Vu

It's Magic Prologue

"Déjà Vu"

Randy's POV

_(Hurt My Baby by John Hiatt)_

_No need to be explicit  
Anyone can see  
Injury was permanent  
The wound was really deep  
Doesn't talk about it much  
I listen when she does  
And when she's in that distant place  
I know it's just because_

Somebody hurt my baby  
Somebody hurt my girl  
Somebody hurt my baby  
Somebody hurt somebody in this mean ol' world

She's developed all these nervous ticks  
To prove she's still alive  
Does ninety down to zero  
Back in over drive  
Her sleep is just a nightmare state  
She really gets no rest  
Till someone has come forward  
Till one of us confess

Somebody hurt my baby  
Somebody hurt my girl  
Somebody hurt my baby  
Somebody hurt somebody in this mean ol' world

Somebody hurt my baby  
Somebody hurt my girl  
Somebody hurt my baby  
Somebody hurt somebody in this mean ol' world

The song ends as the car pulls into the school parking lot. It's probably the best song off of John Hiatt's album Same Old Man, but I haven't hardly been able to listen to it over the past year or so. Not after the kind of marriage troubles I've been having with Amanda. I think that's why Jonathan is so anxious to go on this school trip to New York City.

We get out of the car as it begins to snow, and move to the trunk to get out Randy's duffel bag filled to the brim with clothes, hygiene products, ten tons of hair products, CDs, and all the other necessities of life for a sixteen year old boy. Was I like that when I was sixteen?

'You're sure this is what you want to do?' I ask. Jonathan rolls his eyes. Now I know how mom felt twenty one years ago when I was his age.

'No, maybe I should have them airmail the house to New York' Jonathan jokes. I smile. Yes, he's definitely inherited the smartass gene from me.

Once we finish the two man job of putting the travel bag on the bus, we still have a few minutes to kill.

'This all seems so familiar…' I comment as we stand there.

'What, you mean that story you made up in high school that you have sitting on the coffee table?' Jonathan asks.

'Yeah' I reply.

'The one where you lost a foot and grandpa had to go down to Missouri and rescue you? Where did you ever get the idea for that anyway?' he asks, continuing as I nod.

'Well, contrary to what you may think, none of that ever happened. I guess I just went a little crazy for that particular assignment. Hey, it was worth it, I got a 105 percent out of 100, as well as the highest grade in the class because of it' I explain.

'I wish I was that creative' Jonathan says in amazement.

'You actually remember that story? I haven't seen you read it in about nine years' I say.

'I read it sometimes, just whenever you're off on assignment for the EPA' Jonathan says.

'Well, I better get on the bus while there's still some seats left' he says after a minute. I nod in agreement.

'I'll miss you' I say.

'Oh come on, you aren't going to start acting like grandma, are you?' Jonathan asks.

'No, but I will miss you whether I'm acting like your grandmother or not' I say. There's an awkward silence after that, then finally Jonathan boards the bus, gets half way up the steps, stops, and waves at me. I wave back.

I head back to my small, fuel efficient, hybrid, ethanol powered car, and get in to escape the mixture of the soft snowflakes and the icy cold stab of the sleet that's now begun as well.

After the buses begin pulling out, about fifteen minutes or so, I'm the only one left on the parking lot. All the other cars belong to chaperones. After the last bus leaves, I just sit there in the car, lost in thought.

I don't want to go back home. I don't want to go anywhere else.

It's not like Amanda and I have any overly serious problems. No affairs or anything to that degree. It's just like after sixteen years of marriage; we've grown apart, or lost some love along the way.

I've always felt bad about what happened between Lauren and me. There was some other guy, Rodney Peck, who was competing for her love, and she couldn't make up her mind about who she wanted to be with, so I decided for her. The irony of it all, in the end, she didn't wind up with either of us. Rodney dumped her about seven months into the relationship, and then she came back to me, asking me to forgive her, and give her another chance. Of course I couldn't do this, since I had already met Amanda by then, but we decided to stay friends. Last I heard, Rodney was doing 25 to life in Jackson State for killing his family. A true asshole, through and through.

Someone rapping on my window snaps me out of my thoughts.

'Hey buddy, are you gonna sit here all day?' asks a security guard who must've come from inside the school.

'Oh, no, I'm sorry. I just have some personal matters I was thinking about' I say.

'Well if you need to think about something, go to Starbucks and do it, not here in the parking lot' comments the guard, walking away.

I go to put the key in the ignition, then realize it's already there and the car is started, though I don't remember doing either. I put the car in drive, and leave Lakeside High's parking lot.

I don't head home, however. I head to the café that Lauren owns and operates for a cup of coffee and some advice.

* * *

A/N: So here's the sequel to Meet Me in St. Louie.

I know not a whole lot happened, but this is a prologue, after all.

I will warn you, this may be a sequel to MMiSL, but it will have a bit of a different flavor to it, which I think is good. It'll keep things from getting too repetitive or similar to the original.

Please R&R so you can let me know what you think of this.

Thanks for reading, I appreciate it.

-Yours truly, Randy Taylor


	2. Chapter 1: Moon Over Grosse Pointe

It's Magic Chapter 1

"Moon Over Grosse Pointe"

Randy's POV

I pull up to The Java Shack and get out of my car. I walk inside and take a seat where I normally sit at the counter, right by the cash register.

'Hi Randy' Natalie smiles as she comes down my way.

'Hi' I say.

'Do you know what you want?' she asks.

'Uh…I'll have a house special. Is Lauren here?' I ask.

'No, she's out sick' Natalie says.

'Okay, in that case, make the coffee to go. Nothing personal, I just came by to talk to her' I explain.

I get my coffee and go back outside to my car. I sit there, sip my latte, and plan out my next move. Amanda left for her weekly shopping expedition (for both the family's necessities and her wants) about ten minutes ago, so she won't be home again for another three or four hours.

I briefly consider going to visit Wilson, but then remember that he's supposed to be leaving on some kind of trip with his Polar Bear club today. I think about mom or dad, but decide that would be…just plain wrong. I don't think I could discuss mine and Amanda's intimacy issues with the people who changed my diaper and can remember when I wet the bed.

What does that leave me with? As I think, I keep driving absent mindedly. After a few minutes of driving, I realize where I'm going. The road I'm on is going to take me to Grosse Pointe, a very special place for Lauren and me. In fact, it was so special between us; I've never taken Amanda there. As far as she's concerned, it's just another dot on a map.

'I should probably turn back at this next exit. It's the last one until Grosse Pointe. If I didn't, I'd wind up going to this place that holds very special memories between me and a woman who is not my wife' I say to no one in particular. Despite my commentary, I whiz past the exit; and smile as I do.

I'm smiling thinking about all the good times that Lauren and I have shared. I'm smiling thinking about Amanda, shuffling along in some crowded store, trying to save seventeen cents on laundry detergent; cussing the crowds and the bad weather outside and high prices of everything and the surly cashiers who always put the canned cat food in the same bag as the tuna fish. (Oh horrors!) I'm smiling thinking about how I'm probably the only one other than a bunch of junior high kids who want a snow day the day after next that is smiling. I'm smiling just thinking about how I finally have a secret, something that nobody else has to know about. I'm smiling thinking about how great it would be if I could go back to how things used to be. I'm smiling about perfect things and places that I'm envisioning right now. I'm smiling about everything.

I reach over to my coffee and take a sip as I pull up to my destination. I unbuckle, and take a look around through the snow that will most likely become a full fledged Southern Michigan blizzard in a couple of hours, if it takes that long. Won't Amanda be pissed.

I see another car here, though I can't quite make out what kind from the car.

"_What kind of moron would be out in this weather?' _I think to myself. Ha! Like I have room to speak.

I put on my knit gloves, grab my coffee, and get out of the car. The other person probably thinks I'm an idiot for being up here too.

I walk over to the other side of the park, where there is a gazebo. In the process, I pass by an SUV that could easily belong to your typical soccer mom, but instead has two kids inside making out. A boy looks up as I pass by. He rolls down his window.

'Hey old man, what are you doing here? Why don't you go home and look at this month's Reader's Digest' the kid shouts at me.

'You know, you aren't the first generation to come up here to make out and have sex. I'm sure your all's parents probably did the same thing, so keep your boxers on' I respond.

'It's a little late for that' he says, repositioning himself so that a small portion of his bare butt is visible. I walk away, shuddering at the sight, trying to erase the image of the guy's butt from my head.

I walk on a little bit longer, then reach the section of the park with the gazebo. I see someone else sitting there already, most likely the owner of the Dodge I saw parked beside me a few minutes ago.

I pick my way around the ice and slush on the steps, stepping only on the parts covered only by snow, and go to sit down on one of the benches inside the gazebo.

'So, what brings you out here?' I ask the other person after a few minutes of silence.

'Randy? What are you doing here?' the person, who I now know is Lauren, asks.

'I…well…Amanda is out shopping and after I dropped Jonathan off at school, and then decided to just drive around and wound up driving here. What are you doing here? Natalie said you were out sick' I explain.

'I just haven't felt right the past three days. I don't know what it is. At first I thought I was coming down with something, but I don't have any symptoms' Lauren says.

'So you decided to come out in this weather in hopes of getting something' I joke. She smiles.

'No, I'm kind of like you. I just started driving and wound up coming up here' she says.

'What were you thinking about? I mean, on your way up here?' I ask.

'All the times we shared together, what Prescott is doing on his business trip in Memphis, the weather, you know, just about everything' she explains.

'Okay, this is too weird. That's what I was thinking about. Hey, did you see those two lovebirds in that SUV on your way over here too?' I ask.

'You're kidding. This must just be some major coincidence. It's not like fate, or God, or what ever higher being it may be has brought us two together here in this park' Lauren says. She motions for me to scoot closer to her. I reluctantly do so.

'Ah, I see you have Java Shack coffee. Even up here I can't get away from that place. You know, I've been thinking about opening up another store, this one on the route up here. We'd get lots of business from horny teenagers' she says. She puts her arm around my back. I start to do the same with her, but then act like I was just going to scratch my head. She grabs my arm before I can put it back down, and places it behind her back.

'Are you sure you're prepared for those horny teenagers?' I smile.

'Yeah, why wouldn't I be?' she asks.

'Well, you say you're ready now, but just wait until the day some sagger boy like bare ass walks in with his girlfriend and a full blown erection, no pun intended, with the former clinging on to him like chewing gum to old sneakers' I say. She lays her head on my shoulder.

'Do you think it would really be that bad?' Lauren asks.

'Which one of us was last in the boy's locker room?' I ask.

'True' she agrees.

We sit there for a couple more minutes, just watching the snow fall. I start to scoot over, but am unable to move.

Then slowly, for some reason, somehow, Lauren starts to kiss me. I don't know why, I don't know whether or not it was because of what's going on between me and Amanda, or whether it's because we're in our special place, or whether it's because we're in the make out capital of Michigan, but I kiss back. As soon as the kiss ends, I feel guilty as hell. I look around to see if anyone noticed the kiss. There's no one around except me and Lauren.

'I have to go. Lauren, I have to go. I can't do this. I'm sorry, it's not something you did. Well, actually, I guess it is, but I did it back, so it's my fault too. I need to go. I really, really need to go. I'll see you…whenever I see. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I did that. I won't tell Amanda if you don't tell Prescott. I won't tell Amanda even if you tell Prescott' I say hurriedly.

I abandon what's left of my coffee, run past the full moon, and get in my car. I can feel and hear my heartbeat as I sit there and let the defroster and the heater take effect. Oh God. This could screw up things even worse between me and Amanda. That's the last thing I want, and the last thing Jonathan needs. I drive home perhaps a bit faster than I should in this weather. Once I get home, I call Amanda's cell phone, and ask her to hurry up and get home from the store. I tell her there's something we need to talk about.

I keep obsessing over how I could've let something like that kiss happen. How could I have let myself kiss her back? Why didn't I be more forceful in my attempt to scoot over?

The one answer I keep coming up with: Because I wanted it to happen. I wanted this to happen. Is it a sin for a married man to kiss a dating woman? I can't say I really much care, but it's just another thought that keeps racing through my mind.

* * *

A/N: So, I hope that was a little bit of a shock, or at the very least, a minor surprise.

Please R&R if you're reading this.

The next few chapters will be more Jonathan based. I'm going to kind of split up this story a little bit. I might have a couple chapters that follow Randy, then three or four (or maybe more) that follow Jonathan, then back to Randy, and so on and so forth.

Thanks for reading.

-Yours truly, Randy Taylor


	3. Chapter 2: Cat, Mouse, and Baby Talk

It's Magic Chapter 2

"Cat, Mouse, and Baby Talk"

Jonathan's POV

I lean my head on the frosty window and stare out of it as the snow picks up. I'm contemplating putting a CD in my walkman (yes, I still have a walkman as opposed to an MP3 player. There's just something about MP3 players that I don't like.) and cracking open the book I'm currently reading when I feel my phone vibrating.

I look up nonchalantly to make sure that no chaperones, teachers, or tattletales are able to see me since we aren't supposed to have cell phones on the bus. The coast is clear, so I open my book for even more privacy, then dig my phone out.

I look down at the main screen and see I have a text message from mom.

It reads:

Hi Jonathan

How's the trip going so far? Are you comfortable? I hope so.

Do you know what's going on with your dad? He just called me while I was out shopping and asked me to try to hurry and come home. He sounded kind of upset about something.

Text me back if you know anything.

Love mom

'Jonathan, put your phone away. Ms. Barr is coming' Kyle, my best friend, who is setting next to me, warns me. I don't have time to get the phone back in my pocket, so I slide it behind my back for the moment.

Ms. Barr continues on past Kyle and me without incidence. Then she starts railing on someone behind us in her shrill, shrieking, harpy voice that is infamous in the halls of Lakeside High. I take this opportunity to dig out my head phones and walkman, and put in the first CD I grab, Looking for Lucky by Hootie and the Blowfish. I curl up in the seat a little more, and start reading.

When I see Ms. Barr go back to the front of the bus, I slip my phone back in my pocket.

After awhile, I put the book away, turn the CD off, leave my headphones on, and try to go to sleep. The next thing I know, I'm waking up to a sign that says New York is 80 miles away. I wonder what woke me up, then I can faintly hear a harpy voice making an announcement. I quickly close my eyes and wait for the shrill voice to stop. When it does, I open my eyes, take the headphones off, and ask Kyle what the announcement was all about.

'Taylor McDonald threw up, so we're stopping at the next gas station to get on a different bus for the rest of the way to New York' Kyle explains.

When we get to the gas station, I make a mental note to myself not to go anywhere without someone either being with me or knowing where I'm going so I don't wind up having an adventure like Meet Me in St. Louie.

After a few minutes, the new bus arrives, and we all board it, everyone making sure to stay clear of Taylor McDonald. I settle into another window seat for the rest of the ride to New York.

* * *

In New York

Jonathan's POV

The blizzard only seems to be getting worse as we pull up to the hotel. Everybody is eager to unpack and start enjoying the hotel life.

This is only the second time I've stayed in a hotel. The only other time was when we visited Uncle Brad in Los Angeles, and that's been around ten or eleven years.

We all get checked into our rooms, get our cardkeys for them, then wander the halls of the Hilton much to the annoyance of the staff. Before long it's dinner time, so everyone heads downstairs to the main floor to the hotel restaurant.

* * *

Randy's POV

A couple hours after I get home, Amanda gets back. I meet her at the door that leads from the garage to the house, and head to the trunk to help her get everything taken inside.

'Randy, what exactly is going on? What was that call about earlier?' Amanda asks while we sit in the living room and enjoy a cup of coffee. (She's drinking coffee, I'm drinking tea).

'I don't know, I was watching Jonathan's bus pull out of the parking lot today, and it just dawned on me. It dawned on me that he was growing up, and that in a couple of years, he's going to be going away to college' I explain.

'And…?' she asks.

'And I think I know what our problem is. I got to thinking about how much time I spent away from home with my job. I'm in a pretty good position at the EPA, wouldn't you agree?' I ask.

'Yes. Are we going to play cat and mouse games all evening before I get this answer out of you?' she asks.

'If you want to. I was thinking, maybe we just haven't been spending enough time together. I mean, think about it, when was the last time we saw each other every day of the week? When was the last time we had sex more than once a week?' I ask, laughing at that last part.

'You have a good point. But what are you going to do, take a leave of absence from the EPA and then hope when you go back they'll still offer you a job?' Amanda asks.

'Yes and no. They would almost have to give me my job back if I left for family reasons, right?' I ask.

'I suppose so' Amanda answers, starting to look exasperated.

'What if we had a baby?' I blurt out.

* * *

Jonathan's POV

After I ate dinner, I went back up to my room while Kyle went to do God only knows what kind of hormone driven, sex oriented thing. (What can I say, he's still a nice guy even though his penis gets more blood than his brain does sometimes).

I'm sitting in the armchair by the window, reading, when the fire alarm goes off. I put the mark in my book, and go to the door, taking my cell phone and book with me. Hey, it's not like anyone will ever know I broke the number one rule of fire safety. I open the door to mass chaos. Everyone is migrating to the stairwell, and I squeeze my way in.

Once we get on the stairs, the line starts moving slower since there's three floors worth of people below us. Someone starts shoving from behind me, and at the same moment, the line picks up speed and everyone starts moving at a practically manic pace. I get shoved and knocked down by some kid I've never even seen before.

Then the unimaginable happened. Everyone behind me starts moving at the same pace as everyone else, and literally trample me in the process. I try to call out for help, but no one hears, or if they do hear, they don't care enough to do anything. I lose consciousness before the stampede ends.

* * *

A/N: I promise, next chapter will be entirely focused on Jonathan.

Please R&R if you want to find out what happens to Jonathan and what Amanda's reaction is to Randy wanting to have a baby.

As always, thanks for reading and reviewing.

-Yours truly, Randy Taylor


	4. Chapter 3: Terminal Buddies

It's Magic Chapter 3

"Terminal Buddies"

Jonathan's POV

I wake up coughing, and when I open my eyes, I see why. Actually, I can't see anything through the thick haze of the smoke that's filled the stairwell. Remembering basic fire safety (that I like many others thought would never come in handy), I drop down to my hands and knees and start crawling towards the staircase. I don't make it one foot until I crawl right on top of something.

'Ouch! That hurts!' the thing I crawled onto exclaims.

'Kyle, what are you doing here?' I ask as I rub my eyes.

'I don't know what either one of us is doing here, but I suggest we get out of here before this place burns up with us inside of it' Kyle says, sprinkled with the occasional cough.

He sits up and scoots himself over to the stairs. He then maneuvers himself down the stairs by sitting at the top of each step and then sliding down to the next one. I follow suit.

We have to go down three more flights of stairs until we make it to the entrance/exit for hotel guests. As we crawl over to the lone door, there's what appears to be (judging by the sound) a mini-eruption somewhere a few stories up. Kyle and I hurry over to the door. He reaches up to the handle to open the door. He tries pushing on it to no avail.

'Damn thing's locked' he informs me.

I look around for anything that could either smash through the glass window on the top part of the door, or be used as a battering ram for the door. I find exactly what I'm searching for in a rail that I'm assuming came half loose from the earlier stampede that caused both Kyle and myself to get trapped in here.

'Help me get this off the wall' I tell Kyle, pointing to the fallen rail. I grab on to it by the end and Kyle grabs onto it somewhere in the middle. With a few simple tugs and in a short amount of time, we have the once pristine solid gold railing off the wall and aimed at the door.

'On three' Kyle says.

'One...' I tighten my grip on my part of the railing.

'Two…' I take a deep breath and adjust my stance.

'Three!' We both go charging at the door and knock it off its hinges. We abandon the rail by the entrance/exit.

Both of us sit down in a nearby alleyway out of exhaustion. Just for a minute, we both agree. We'll go find our class after that much time. If nothing else, we'll find a firefighter or policeman who will know where the class has gone to. Soon enough, we're fast asleep, and out of harm's way for the moment.

* * *

Jonathan's POV

'Kyle! Wake up! We fell asleep! I don't know how long for, but we did. Wake up!' I shout.

'Huh? What? What? I'm awake, I'm awake. What happened? Why did you let me fall asleep?' Kyle asks.

'Why did you let me fall asleep?' I counter. I take a deep breath and let it out.

'Okay, yelling at each other is getting us nowhere. As I said, I don't know how long we were asleep. It might have only been a few minutes' I say.

'Yeah, you're right. Let's just check around the building. I'm sure someone's still out there, at the very least standing guard. On that note, we stand up and stroll around to the front of the once-Hilton. That's how confident we are that someone will be waiting for us.

Both of our faces light up with smiles when we see a pair of police officers standing guard Our smiles fade when one turns his head, sees us, and then scowls.

'Hey! What are you punks doing here? Didn't you see the police tape? You weren't thinking of going in there trying to steal something, were you?' the officer demands.

We open our mouths to explain what happened, but the officer starts talking first.

'I don't want to hear your lies. Now beat it punks!' he yells. Kyle and I run away from the Hilton, practically cartoon style. After a couple of minutes of running, we stop.

'Where are we even going to? Kyle asks.

'I don't even have a clue' I pant. I never have been great at running or anything athletic, especially since I inherited asthma from dad.

'We need some place to stay for the night, and maybe even to get some food' I suggest.

'Yeah, like we have enough money to stay at even one of the cheaper motels in New York City' Kyle reminds me.

'Well, we could always do like in that old movie from 2004, Terminal, where this guy was traveling and somehow or other wound up living in a terminal in JFK Airport for a long time' I joke.

'This really is some mess we're in' Kyle says, ignoring my last remark.

"Maybe I should've read Meet Me in St. Louie a little closer" I can't help but think as I put my head down to avoid the snow that's just started to fall.

'Hey! Watch where you kids are going!' a man shouts all of a sudden. I'm shocked when I look up.

* * *

A/N: Yes, this story is still going on, even though it's been almost 3 months since I last updated.

Sorry for ending this chapter where I did, but I just kept writing and writing, and I couldn't really find a good spot in which to stop the chapter. You'll have to read again to find out who the man is and what he wants (or doesn't want). I promise you it won't be three months this time. Hopefully it'll be a matter of days.

Please R&R! It's much appreciated :)

-Yours truly, Randy Taylor


	5. Chapter 4: This Chapter Has No Name

It's Magic Chapter 4

"This One Has No Name"

Randy's POV

'A…a baby? We're already having family issues, so…so your solution is to go and expand the family? What, have you been shellacking with your father today or something?' Amanda says.

'What makes you think I've been shellacking?' I demand.

'Oh, nothing, just the fact that you're acting like you're a couple forks shy of a fondue set, that's all' she says.

'Why did I even bother to bring it up? Why did I even bother to tell you what I was thinking? It's accomplished nothing other than starting yet another fight' I say back. We're both shouting now.

Amanda gets up from the chair, grabs her coffee cup, and goes to the kitchen. Now I've done it. Whenever she's upset, she starts cleaning. Every dish in our house got washed when she found out that her sister in law was leaving her brother for a younger man.

'Not even the same person I married' I hear her mumble from the kitchen.

'Yeah, that blade cuts both directions' I whisper.

I decide that I don't want to sit here and listen to more mumbles and the sounds of dishes being done, so I get up.

'I'm going out' I say in the direction of the kitchen door. I grab my keys and go, not waiting or caring for a response.

I trudge through the snow outside and get into the car and pull out of the driveway.

I drive out of Detroit city limits. I drive out to the interstate. I keep on going there. I drive on until I see a sign that welcomes me to Ohio. Still I keep driving, not thinking about anything else, just thinking, knowing, that I need to get as far away as possible. Finally, a few hours later, I stop in Toledo to use the restroom and put gas in the car. I pay for it in cash. I get back in the car and keep on driving. I drive for hours and hours. I finally look down at the clock on the radio. 3:30 in the morning. I haven't had any sleep, but don't stop to since I don't feel tired and probably couldn't even get any sleep if I was. "Welcome to Indiana" proclaims another Godforsaken sign. I drive, on and on, until finally somewhere around Gary, Indiana, I see the sun starting to rise. 5:30 am reads the clock. I finally pull over at a Denny's and go inside to use the restroom again and get something to eat. Once again, I pay for everything in cash. Then I go to the restroom once more, this time to just try to plot out what I'm going to do next in some peace and quiet. I take the middle stall, and then sit down.

'What the hell have I done?' I mutter.

'Why Randy, is that you?' a familiar voice outside the stall asks. Oh good God. I can't get away from my life, can I?

'Wilson, what on earth are you doing here?' I ask.

'I was on my way to some relatives in Iowa and stopped off for a hot meal. What about you? I didn't see Amanda out there anywhere' he replies. I stand up now and try to see if anyone else is in here. I can't tell. I don't think so, though.

'Yeah, me and Amanda are kind of having even more problems right now than we were before. I think that the main problem has to do with family matters, so I went and suggested that we have another baby' I explain.

'And I take it Amanda didn't like that suggestion very much' Wilson infers.

'That's putting it mildly. I'm sure that by now, there isn't a dirty dish left within the tri-state area. Which would explain why I'm here and Amanda is back in Detroit' I say.

'Randy, do you love Amanda?' he asks.

'Yeah, of course I do. Well, I don't know. I did when I married her' I respond.

'I think your brain and your heart are getting their responsibilities mixed up. Your brain says you did love her when you married her. What does your heart say?' Wilson says.

'After a large stack of pancakes with lots of butter and maple syrup, it's saying "I'll need angioplasty before I'm 40 at this rate".

'You know what I mean' Wilson chuckles.

'My heart says that I still, and always will for that matter, love Amanda' I say after a few seconds of contemplation.

'If that is true, and I believe it to be, then your marriage, Randy, still has a fighting chance' he says. The bathroom door opens, and the guy sees the two of us talking, shakes his head, mutters some rude remark that would offend even the most nondescript personality lacking person, and leaves.

'Let me guess, now you're going to set Amanda and me up with some celebrity relationship counselor you've known for half your life, right?' I guess.

'Well, I would, however she was the counselor that Sheryl Crow and Lance Armstrong went to when their fling was on the line' Wilson replies. I don't even give this stuff a second thought anymore.

'What I'm trying to say' Wilson continues, 'is that instead of being here in Gary, Indiana, in a restroom at Denny's with me, maybe you should be in Detroit, Michigan, in your house, with your wife, your, according to your heart, love for eternity' Wilson suggests.

'Oh come on, don't I get a quote?' I ask with a smile.

'Alright, here's your quote: An old friend of mine I gave guitar and piano lessons to, Bob Seger, once said "Go go go, get out of Denver". This may be Gary, Indiana, but I still say you should get out of Denver and get back to Detroit' he says.

'Thanks for the advice. Have a nice trip' I say. I unlock the stall door and exit the restroom.

Jonathan's POV

'Damn. There's no answer at my parent's house either' I tell Kyle. We're sitting in the director's trailer that belongs to Rene Balcer, the executive producer of Law and Order. We had accidentally stumbled into the area where the show was shooting, and so now, they're offering to try and help Kyle and I get back home. They've already given us a hot meal and a guest spot in an upcoming episode in January.

'You're kidding. What, is parent in Detroit doing it tonight or something?' Kyle exclaims. I grimace. Ugh. That does not conjure up pretty mental images. People always think I'm kidding when I tell them what part of Kyle's body seems to get most of the blood.

'Okay, so what did your dad write in his story after phoning home failed?' Kyle asks. I think back.

'He called a taxi cab service that took him to St. Louis, then finally contacted grandpa from a gas station there, hence the title "Meet Me in St. Louie"' I say.

'Man, this is New York City, you're not going to be able to pay me enough to get inside a cab' Kyle says.

'I don't really think that's what we need to worry about, as of right now. Our first priority ought to be finding some place to sleep for the night' I suggest.

'Good thinking. What about a Super Walmart? You can stay inside those things for hours, and no one will notice' Kyle suggests.

'Yeah, you can stay there, but you can't sleep' I point out.

'What about an airport?' I suggest humorously. We both laugh. We double over in laughter. If we didn't laugh, we'd both go insane and pull out our hair and go running and screaming off into the New York night, never to be seen or heard from again by anyone other than the permanent residents of Central Park.

* * *

A/N: Okay, so Jonathan's POV was originally supposed to take place in real time, but that didn't really work out, so I did it like this.

I guess Randy might be a little OOC in this chapter, but I can't help it, that's how this story mandated I write it. (Yes, my stories carry on conversations with me now).

So, will Randy and Amanda be able to reconcile? Will they be able to have a civil conversation? Will they wind up being on a future episode of COPS? Review to find out!

Thanks for reading.

Oh, and by the way, the quote Wilson gave "Go go go, get out of Denver" is an actual quote from an actual Bob Seger song that Bob Seger holds all rights to. However, in my dream world, I don't have to put this in because Bob and I are close friends.

Thanks again.

-Yours truly, Randy "Mr. Angioplasty in the Works" Taylor

* * *

A/N Part II: So I changed the name of this chapter. I slept on it, decided I didn't like the one I had before (I won't mention it here), and wasn't able to come up with anything humorous and witty, since I literally watched my cat die this morning. That kind of thing can sour even the greatest of moods.

Anyways, thanks (for a third time now!) for reading.

-Yours truly again, Randy Taylor


	6. Chapter 5: Loose Change

It's Magic Chapter 5

"Loose Change"

Jonathan's POV

As it turns out, both of us do wind up going to Central Park. We find a remote, deserted area and decide to "set up camp" there. There's only a couple things we have with us: a jacket a piece that we got from Rene Balcer and the paperback I was reading when the fire alarm went off. Other than that, Kyle and I each have some spare change.

An elderly man, who I'm assuming is homeless, comes up to us a few minutes after we get settled for the night.

'Do you all have any loose change?' he asks.

'No' I answer. I don't feel like being charitable at the moment, and besides, the man, judging by his smell, would probably just spend it on liquor anyways.

'That's good, because it's hard to catch it when it gets loose' he says, then goes walking off in another direction, laughing like a maniac. I'm going to assume that the only reason Frank Sinatra could write a song like New York, New York is because something like this never happened to him.

Kyle and I lay down not too long after the man left. We're both tired, but neither one of us is sleepy.

'It's hard to believe that we've spent only one full day here' I say while we're laying there.

'Yeah. We still have four days until Christmas Eve to either find the rest of the class or be found by the rest of the class' Kyle says.

'I never really thought about it until now, but I think that maybe…maybe this is what I really wanted for Christmas' I say after staring at the starry night sky for a few moments.

'What, to be stuck here in Mental Park with a bunch of old drunks who haven't had an address since the first Bush administartion?' Kyle laughs.

'No, to be away from my parents. I'm so tired of hearing them argue over everything. This Christmas probably won't be any different than the last three. It'll be, let's see…if we count the past three, World War Six' I say.

'That has to get old after a while' Kyle says.

'And embarrassing. Remember the homecoming dance?' I ask.

'Who could forget? They got into an argument right by the microphone and the whole school heard some things that I don't think anybody needed to know' he remembers.

'Yeah. I was called Puppy Boy for months after that' I laugh. It seems funny to me now, but really wasn't at the time.

We lay there for a little while longer, neither one of us saying anything, just looking at the sky. Eventually, somehow, we fall asleep.

* * *

A/N: This chapter was kind of short, I know. I originally had some more Randy/Amanda stuff, but decided that I'm going to save that for a later chapter. (It'll be probably be a short chapter too).

Please read and review, and feel free to offer suggestions if you had any.

Thanks for everything.

-Yours truly, Randy Taylor


	7. Chapter 6: Blowin' in the Wind

It's Magic Chapter 6

"Blowin' in the Wind"

Jonathan's POV

I wake up several hours later. The sun is starting to rise, but there's still no noise. I wonder what woke me up. I start to write it off as my full bladder, but then hear a muffled shout of "help!"

I roll over to my left and am snapped out of my post sleep haze when I notice that Kyle isn't there.

'Kyle! Kyle, where are you?' I shout. This isn't good at all. We need each other if we're going to survive this city.

'Over here Jonathan! Down in the hole!' I hear Kyle shout from a large hole a few feet away that neither one of us noticed the previous night.

'How'd you get down there?' I ask after I run over to the hole.

'I must have rolled over too far when I was asleep. When I woke up, I was down here' Kyle explains. I stick down my hands and grab a hold of his hand and pull him up. Luckily, we're both about the same size. He didn't inherit his father's height, and I did.

We sit for a few minutes and debate on what we can do now to try to either get out of here or at least survive another day.

'I think our first priority should be trying to get in contact with one of our parents' I say.

'What about breakfast? Can that be priority number two?' Kyle asks.

'Yeah, as long as it costs one dollar and forty three cents plus what you have' I tell him.

We decide that we'll go to a gas station so we can use the restrooms and *hopefully* get in contact with someone in Detroit.

I grab my paperback (which I slept on; using it as a pillow) and then we walk to a Mobil.

After we use the restroom, we look for a pay phone, and actually find two; one by the entrance we came in through, and one on the other side of the store by the coffee machine. Kyle takes the one by the entrance, and I take the other one.

If this all works out, we could be home as soon as tomorrow. Home. My home. Where the heart isn't. I dig out the change for the phone, and start to put it in the slot. I hesitate. I look over at Kyle. Apparently he isn't having any luck. He's tapping his foot and drumming his fingers on the phonebook impatiently.

After thinking things over for a couple more seconds, I put the change back in my pocket. This may be a mean, selfish thing to do to Kyle, but…I don't want to be home for Christmas. Who knows, maybe I'll luck out and live out the rest of my life here in New York City. Okay, so maybe that's a bit of a stretch, but still, maybe being MIA for Christmas will make mom and dad realize just how lucky we are to be able to be together.

I walk over to where Kyle is at. He's standing there, looking outside, thinking.

'Did you have any luck?' I ask.

'No. And apparently our answering machine is full, so I couldn't even leave a message. How about you?' he says. I debate this a moment. Should I tell him? I'm sure he'd understand, being my best friend and all. I mean, I've known him for all my life. No, I'm not going to tell him the truth. Not yet, anyway.

'No answer still. I thought about trying my grandparents, but God knows what grandpa has done to the phone, trying to decorate for the lighting contest' I say. That last part may be a total lie, but it sounded good.

We leave the quick store and walk while we decide what to do next. As we walk, the wind picks up a little bit, and starts blowing around snow. Out of nowhere, a large envelope blows right into my face. It falls to the ground. After I recover from the shock of it hitting me, I bend down and pick it up. There are no markings on the outside.

'Open it' Kyle urges me as we walk over to the brick siding of some kind of office.

'No. This has to be intended for someone else, and if I open it, I'd be committing a federal offense' I say, although I'm with him on this.

'Alright, then let me open it' he says, sticking out his hand to take the envelope from me.

'No, it didn't hit you in the face. I'll open it' I say, already tearing through the packing tape.

Inside this envelope are a smaller envelope that is stuffed to the brim with something, and a note.

'What does it say?' Kyle asks.

'It says: To you who found this and opened it, merry Christmas. Use this kind deed wisely' I read.

'What's the person talking about?' we both wonder aloud.

'Let's find out' I say. I open the smaller envelope, which contains…money?

'How much is there?' Kyle asks excitedly.

'Let's go somewhere private before we count it out. After all, this _is _New York City, and I really don't feel like having a gun pulled on me' I say. We wind up finding some unoccupied bushes to hide in and count the money. There are 200 bills in the envelope, all twenties.

'That's four thousand dollars. What kind of moron would just literally throw four thousand dollars into the wind?' Kyle wonders.

'Who knows? It's not like whoever did this can't afford to live without it' I say.

'Who was that talking? It definitely didn't sound like you' he laughs.

'Hey, having four thousand dollars to spend in New York City, unsupervised, might I add, would probably make even someone like Mother Teresa sound a little different' I tell him.

'Four thousand dollars' Kyle says slowly. 'Hey, now we can get breakfast.'

* * *

A/N: Okay, so maybe the money thing is farfetched, but hey, the guys will need money to be able to do the things I have in store for them.

This is the beginning of some serious changes that will be taking place throughout the rest of this story.

Please read and review, and thanks for doing both.

-Yours truly, Randy Taylor


	8. Chapter 7: What to Do

It's Magic Chapter 7

"What to Do"

Jonathan's POV

'Are you sure this place is even open?' I ask Kyle as we peer inside the restaurant.

'It doesn't say it isn't' he says.

'It doesn't say it is' I point out.

'There's only one way to find out' Kyle says, pulling on the door. It opens, so we go on inside.

'Hi there' a man says, coming out from the kitchen area. Kyle and I take two stools at the counter.

'Did you boys see the Yankees last night? That was some game' the man says while he produces two menus from under the counter.

'No, we didn't' I say.

'You two aren't Yankees fans?' he asks, looking at us suspiciously.

'No, we're actually Tigers fans' I say, or rather, start to say. Kyle cuts me off.

'We're not really that much into baseball' Kyle says.

'Just so longs as you aren't Red Sox fans. I don't serve them' the man says, going ahead and giving us the menus.

'I'd rather squeeze my head in a vice than root for the Boston Red Sox' I tell the man.

We turn our attention to the menu and decide what we want.

After carrying out our plates (scrambled eggs, toast, and hash browns for Kyle; oatmeal and a bagel with cream cheese for me), the man, whose name is Anthony, tells us he'll be in the back if we need anything.

'Can I confess something to you, Jonathan?' Kyle asks mid-way through the meal.

'Yeah, sure' I reply.

'Back at that gas station, I didn't actually call home. I knew how much you weren't looking forward to spending Christmas with your parents, so I just faked it' he says.

'I didn't call home either. And…you're right. I don't think I want to be home for Christmas. Although I would love to see mom and dad's reaction when I don't get off that bus' I confess to Kyle. I can't help but smile at the last part.

'So when do we call our parents?' Kyle asks after a minute. I can tell he wants to ask something else, my guess would be that it's "do we have to call them ever", but he doesn't.

'After Christmas. Maybe after New Year's Day' I say.

We finish our meal, pay the bill, and leave.

'What should we do now?' I ask.

'That's a good question. How are we going to kill six days in New York City?' Kyle says.

'I don't know, but I do know I want to avoid Mental Park from here on out' I say.

'We should do something that'll completely piss off our parents. Especially my dad' Kyle says. Hmm. Now there's an idea.

* * *

A/N: The next few chapters will probably be from Randy's POV. Next time I do Jonathan's POV, a couple of days will have passed.

This could be the last time I update this story (or any of my others) until Saturday the 15th. Starting Sunday night and going through Friday, I'll have band camp (or as I like to call it, boot camp) which will be pure hell, so I won't feel like writing. I might update a couple more stories before then, but no promises.

Please read and review if you liked this chapter! Thanks for both.

-Yours truly, Randy Taylor


	9. Chapter 8: Marital Maintenance

It's Magic Chapter 8

"Marital Maintenance"

Randy's POV

I leave the restaurant and start driving again.

While I'm driving, I do a lot of thinking. I can still remember the night I proposed to Amanda. First we went out to a fancy dinner at Sorrentino's. Then we went to see The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, which had just come out that day in theaters. The theater manager was a friend of dad's, so right before the movie started, the words "Will you marry me Amanda?" flashed up on the screen. Obviously she said yes. We went back to her place for some decaf, and then approximately nine months later, on September 8, Jonathan was born.

We were so in love then. We'd only known each other for nine months. We met when a mutual friend was playing at this bar in Dearborn. To this day, we both smile whenever we hear Emotional Rescue.

We dated for a while after that. Dad never liked Amanda as much as Lauren. I tried to explain to him that I didn't want to marry someone based on their knowledge of cars, but of course got nowhere with that. Mom tried to convince me that I was seeing Amanda to cope with the situation with Lauren. Despite their initial doubts, they still supported our decision to get married.

After we got married, I don't know what happened. We were fine for the first eight or nine years, but then things just snowballed.

That's not to say that we didn't have our fair share of fights before then, but they were just small arguments. I'm convinced that those must've been warm up arguments for the really big ones to come. Like the one we had the school year before last at the homecoming dance, when Jonathan was a freshman.

It all started when Amanda was complaining about my driving on the way over there. Long story short, we said some things to each other then, and Jonathan is still sometimes called puppy boy.

That's one thing we've always tried to do; keep Jonathan out of our fights.

I look down at the clock. 9:02 am. I see a Super Walmart coming up on my right, so I pull in the parking lot and try to get a little sleep. I pick a spot the farthest from the store, lock the doors, recline the seat, and am soon off in dreamland.

While I'm dreaming, it comes to me what I need to do. Like mom once told dad, marriages are like cars, they need maintenance, which ours hasn't gotten a lot of over the years. Someone call the romance mechanic, because it's time for a tune up.

* * *

A/N: Not a lot happened here, but once again, this is a vital chapter to this story.

Please read and review! Thanks.

-Yours truly, Randy Taylor


	10. Chapter 9: Surprise

It's Magic Chapter 9

"Surprise"

Amanda's POV

I roll over in bed and look at the glowing green numbers on the alarm clock. 8:44 it reads.

I get up and walk through the house, and still see no sign of Randy. It snowed once again over night. The newest layer of snow on the driveway has yet to be driven over. I wonder for the thousandth time where Randy could possibly be.

Shaking my head, I decide to put some coffee on, and take a shower. After I get out, I decide to call Lauren and see if she's seen or heard from Randy.

I dial the number, and get a coffee mug down while I wait for an answer.

'Hello' Prescott, Lauren's live in boyfriend answers.

'Oh, hi Prescott. It's Amanda, Randy's wife. I was just wondering if Lauren had heard anything out of Randy. We had a fight last night, and he stormed out of the house and has been gone since then' I explain.

'I don't know. I just got back from Memphis this morning, and haven't seen Lauren yet' Prescott says.

'Well, thanks. Let me know if you hear anything from Randy' I say.

'You'll do the same for me if you hear from Lauren?' he asks.

'Definitely' I answer.

I hang up, and pour some coffee. I try calling Randy's cell phone again. Once again, there's no answer.

After finishing the coffee, I decide to go out for a while. I seem to do my best thinking while bargain hunting.

* * *

Randy's POV

I drive for a few more hours to Detroit. Once I get there, I don't go home. Instead, I go to the Super Wal-Mart. I buy a bottle of champagne and a copy of The Rolling Stones' CD Emotional Rescue. Then I park the car in the parking lot of an abandoned barbershop down the street a couple blocks from our house.

I get out, carrying my new purchases and walk home. I unlock the front door, then lock it right behind me. Then I start preparing for the marital maintenance I have in mind.

I put our copy of The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King into the DVD player in our bedroom. I start the movie, but then pause it. Then I put the CD in the stereo system, and pause it at the beginning of Emotional Rescue.

I call Matt the florist, the son of Lou the florist. I place an order of eleven white roses and six red ones. This symbolizes our wedding anniversary, June 11. I tell him to deliver them as soon as possible, and that if there's no one home, to have the delivery guy wait. I also have him include a short message.

I then move to the kitchen and take down two of the champagne flutes that was a wedding present and set those in the bedroom next to the bottle of champagne. I then turn off all the lights in the house, and go lay down in our bedroom.

I laugh when I remember that I forgot the most important thing. I send Amanda a text message, and then wait.

* * *

Amanda's POV

I had a great day. I went shopping at three of my favorite stores, then stop by a McDonalds and pick up lunch.

I get a text message from Randy. It's about time I hear something out of him.

"There's a surprise waiting for you at home" it reads. Well then, I guess I'd better get home.

As soon as I pull on to the street, I see a delivery truck parked in our driveway. I get out with all my sacks in tow and meet the delivery guy.

'Are you Amanda Taylor?' he asks.

'Yes' I answer.

'I have a delivery of flowers here for you' he says. I shift some sacks around and take the bouquet from him. I look at the flowers. Eleven white, my favorite color of rose, and six red.

'This must be the surprise' I mutter to myself as the delivery guy drives off.

I unlock the door and still see no sign of Randy anywhere.

I get another text message from Randy.

"Check the bedroom" this one says. I set the sacks and flowers down and head for the bedroom. I hesitate after a couple of steps. What if this isn't Randy sending me these text messages? It could be someone who stole his phone. I could be walking into the trap of some serial rapist, or even worse, serial killer.

I grab a knife from the knife block in the kitchen and resume my walk to the bedroom, hoping and praying that I'm not bringing a knife to a gun fight.

I smile and set the knife down when I hear the song Emotional Rescue start playing from the bedroom. I walk into the room and wonder what exactly is going on here.

I see Randy lying on the bed. He has two remotes sitting next to him.

'Surprise' he smiles.

* * *

A/N: The next chapter will continue this surprise of Randy's.

I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter. If you did, please review! Thanks.

-Yours truly, Randy Taylor


	11. Chapter 10: Knife Happens

It's Magic Chapter 10

"Knife Happens"

Amanda's POV

Randy motions for me to come set on the bed with him. I do so.

'What's all this?' I ask.

'Well, while I was out on my little trip, something my mom once told my dad occurred to me. She said that marriages are like cars, they need maintenance to keep running smoothly. So I want to welcome you to Amanda and Randy's Marital Maintenance Center' Randy explains.

'What all is involved in this maintenance?' I ask.

'Just lean back and see' he says.

He leans over and produces two champagne flutes and a bottle of bubbly from beside the bed. He pours some champagne into one, and hands it to me. He pours some in the other flute, and then sets it (the champagne) aside. He presses a button on one of the remotes. I turn my attention to the TV. Lord of the Rings starts playing.

We sit for a while and watch the movie.

'Don't you think it's funny how things turn out? When we're kids, we watch our parents fight, and we say "when I get married, I'm never going to do that", and then we do exactly that' I say after several minutes of silence.

'It never was really like that for me. My brothers and I always thought it was funny when our parents fought' he says. I laugh. I laugh because I don't know what else to do.

'What's so funny?' Randy asks.

'That we can't even agree on our parents' arguments' I say, unsuccessfully trying to stifle my laughter. Randy smiles that smile of his, and shakes his head.

The phone rings suddenly. Randy jumps up off the bed and makes a dart for the kitchen, where the main phone is.

Before the phone stops ringing, I hear a crash come from the kitchen, followed by Randy yelling for help. I run into the kitchen, to find him lying in the floor, in an expanding pool of blood.

'Oh my God! What happened?' I shriek as I get a dish towel to put on the spot that's bleeding.

'I tripped over a chair' he says weakly. I start to ask him if I should call 9-1-1, or just drive him to the ER myself, but get my answer when I see how quickly the blood is soaking the dish towel.

Within fifteen minutes, Randy is being whisked into a state of the art trauma room at Detroit Memorial Hospital.

I try to concentrate on filling out the thick stack of medical history forms, but only make it through four pages (which is only the tip of the iceberg) before a doctor comes out to update me on Randy's condition.

* * *

Later That Night

Amanda's POV

I don't think I've ever been so insulted and offended in my whole entire life. Randy had explained to the doctor treating him how he got cut, including the part about the whole "marital maintenance". So of course, the doctor overreacts, thinking I tried to kill Randy. Before we could leave, we each had to give a statement to a police officer who had the nerve to give us the phone number for a therapist who specializes in marriage counseling.

After that whole dog and pony show, we were finally allowed to go home.

As far as Randy's wound goes, we were lucky, because it just barely missed a major artery, but according to the nurse, "everything should heal up alright, as long as we make sure to change the dressings on it twice a day".

I start thinking of how nice it will be to get home and go back to our little champagne party in the bedroom when I remember all the blood sitting in the kitchen, waiting to be cleaned up. Hell, I might as well just save my self the trouble and rip the floor up and put a new one in, since blood stains are hard to get out. (I know this two ways; from Jonathan's chronic nosebleeds as a child, and because I haven't missed an episode of any of the Law & Order series since 1991).

When we get home, I help Randy out of the car and into the house, even though he insists he doesn't need any.

I get him situated in bed, and then take care of the remnants of the marital maintenance workshop before getting in bed myself.

* * *

Randy's POV

'You know, this is a dream come true for me' I say to Amanda when she gets in bed.

'What, having your hand sliced open, or being married to Serial Mom?' she says.

'No, neither one of those. My fantasy is having you as my nurse, taking care of me in a way that is very inappropriate for a nurse-patient relationship' I explain, picturing her in a nurse's uniform (the old white ones with the cap and everything, not the more modern smocks).

'Well then, you're in luck. I just happen to be on nurse duty tonight. Although, I might need to go out and some new shoes, just to make the look authentic' Amanda says, kidding, I hope, about the shoe thing.

'Look out the window, do you see it? It's my fantasy, drifting off into the great blue yonder, never to be seen or heard from again' I smile.

'Do you think it would come back if I gave you a sponge bath?' she asks.

'Maybe' I say, drawing out the word.

'I'll be right back to help you out of those clothes' she says.

'I'll be here' I say, picturing Amanda in the nurse getup once again.

* * *

A/N: Yes, I am still alive. Barely, but still alive. I've been sick for pretty much the past month, so the only thing I've been doing is lying around the house, coughing until I feel pain in parts of my body that I didn't know existed.

If anyone is still out there reading this, please read and review, and I'll try to have more chapters to more stories up before the year's out.

Thanks for reading and being patient.

-Yours truly, Randy Taylor


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